BANGOR — Faith Sommers' recipe for Orange Cream Chiffon Cake is included in the February/March edition of County Woman magazine.

Her sponge cake recipe, a rich concoction that calls for nine eggs in the batter and a carton of frozen whipped topping in the filling, was given an honorable mention in the magazine's Celebrating Citrus contest.

It isn't the first time Sommers has had a recipe listed for national publication. In 2004, her "Pizza on the Grill" was listed in County Woman, and a chocolate cake recipe was listed in a cookbook in 2000.

Sommers belongs to the Mennonite Church, and her family moved to Bangor in 2004 from southwestern Missouri to start another church.

"I grew up on a farm. My mom loves to cook. I had five sisters and we all had to learn to cook before we could get married," she said.

"For me, I grew into it. I didn't enjoy it to start with. But there's something therapeutic about it," she said.

Sommers' parents were originally Amish, but joined the Mennonite Church after they were married. "Most of my relatives are Amish," she said.

"They are farmers, they cut their own food, use wringer washers. They work very hard. And, we cook everything from scratch," she said.

Sommers has six children — two girls and four boys ages 5 to 18 — and packs five lunches a day. Her husband is a carpenter and takes a packed lunch to work, and always takes five of Sommers' homemade cookies.

"I have five containers of cookies on my counter right now," she said.

Her Orange Cream Chiffon Cake came about while she was searching for something new.

"I was looking for a recipe. We like to make fancy desserts, for a church potluck or for the family. If I'm having soup, then I want a fancy dessert."

She found a cake recipe that was flavored with pistachio. "I had oranges and I thought I'm going to make it a truly orange cake. I tried it, it was a hit, so I submitted it to Country Woman magazine for its Celebrating Citrus contest.

"It's a very beautiful cake," she said.

ORANGE CREAM CHIFFON CAKE

From Faith Sommers, Bangor

9 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar, divided

1/4 cup orange juice

4 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup orange juice

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 teaspoons grated orange peel

12-ounce carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In another large bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Blend in orange juice and peel. Add flour and remaining sugar to yolk mixture; mix well.

Add cream of tartar and salt to egg whites; beat with clean beaters until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.

Bake at 325-degree oven on lowest rack 40 to 50 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 90 minutes. Run a knife around sides and center tube of pan; remove cake.

For filling, in a double boiler or a metal bowl over simmering water, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Add the orange juice, eggs and orange peel. Constantly whisk until mixture reaches 160 degrees or is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and cool completely. Fold in whipped topping.

Cut cake horizontally into three layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; top with a third of the filling. Repeat layers twice. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Makes about 12 servings.

Laurie Kavenaugh can be reached at 896-7765 or lifestyle@chicoer.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieKavenaugh.